Top Sri Lankan officials arrested over bribery charges

COLOMBO, May 4 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka's anti-graft body arrested President Maithripala Sirisena's chief of staff and another official on Thursday evening in the act of accepting a bribe of over 120,000 U.S. dollars, officials said here Friday.

Officials of the island nation's Commission to Investigate Allegations of Bribery or Corruption (CIABOC) arrested I.H.K. Mahanama, the president's chief of staff, and P. Dissanayake, the head of the State Timber Corporation (STC), the commission said.

The two were arrested at a car park of a luxury hotel in Colombo while they were accepting a 20-million-rupee (about 120,000 U.S. dollar) bribe from an investor who was keen to acquire a state-owned sugar factory.

Following the arrests, President Sirisena, in a statement said he had ordered the immediate suspension of the two senior officials and advised the authorities to strictly enforce the law against the two offenders.

The president said the incident confirms the importance of establishing independent commissions and implementing the policies of the government against bribery and corruption.

The president further said he was pleased with the independent and impartial background created by the present government to ensure that the law enforcement authorities are able to perform their duties independently. Enditem